millionaires who benefitted from the aig scandal. he looks young but he's been in congress for 13 years. almost a decade and a half. voted for debt ceiling increases that he's rallying against. >> three new polls show president obama is widening his lead over romney. romney is coming off the rough overseas trip as well. do you really think this will be a game changer today? >> this is certainly a bold move for romney either way. he may have been hurting. last poll said he has taken a nose dive. his approval and favorable ratings have gone down. those numbers may have been just enough of an edge, just enough of a push to have him decide between a more safe, maybe some would say a boring choice like portman than someone who is more bold and aggressive as paul ryan. >> is this his way of attracting

blue collar voters as well? >> he goes back to wisconsin, fifth generation local native. much like joe biden did when he was in congress. he knows that town. he's a blue collar town and of those folks. >> he also wants to reverse what he calls deep spending mistakes made by the bush administration, he doesn't want to go down that road again. big attraction for the romney campaign knowing that. >> he's very much against heavy government spending. and in fact also does not want to raise taxes. his plan cuts spending, and, as he says, closes loopholes. if you look back at home votes he made when he was in congress. you have to wonder is he now trying to undo some things that he helped do as a member of congress? >> it's going to be an interesting environment three hours ago. thank you very much. >> thanks. >> we have election day three months away. new polls to suggest rom obama

is slipping. romney leads by 45%. more bad news, his unfavorable numbers went up 6 percentage.slast month with registered voters. those numbers may have something to do with negative ads from the obama campaign. in may, only 47 pacers said they were strongly behind him. that's now jumped to 56%. will paul ryan help boost romney's approval rating. 54% of voters don't have a favorable or unfavorable opinion about ryan. the majority of americans don't know enough about him. 45% of republicans said they were unsure about ryan. if they were to choose. they told us they would prefer

to see marco rubio, ahead of chris christie or paul ryan. congressman paul ryan is likely to be a lightning rod for republicans and democrats. our chief national correspondent, john king has more on that. >>. >> reporter: for paul ryan, debating joe biden might feel like a donation. >> would you support a line item veto in helping us get a vote on it in the house. >> let me respond to the two specific questions, but i want to push back a little bit on the underlying premise about us increasing spending by 80%. >> discretionary spending. the bills congress signed in law has increased 84%. >> we'll have a longer debate on the budget numbers there. all right? >> reporter: ryan is the gop numbers guy. the house committee chairman that isn't afraid to say the

only way back to fiscal sanity is to shrink government and get rid of medicare. >> if you don't fix these problems now, the more you delay fixing them the much uglier the solutions will be. >> reporter: in short he's a lightning rod. he will dramatically reshape the race. >> it will be a bold choice. a risky choice. hard to see mitt romney who played it safe making that kind of gamble. >> reporter: there are upsides, ryan is an energetic debater and campaigner. at just 42, he would add youthful vigor to the ticket. ryan would help romney in wisconsin and across the midwest. >> i think he does get wisconsin but more importantly he gets blue collar conservative that i think is the heart of the republican party. >> reporter: tapping ryan is a

big gamble because of the house gop budget that bears his name. up to now romney has done everything to make the campaign a referendum. add ryan to the ticket and there's no escaping this. other potential downsides, ryan never ran statewide. he has no foreign policy experience and some question whether a 42-year-old house member is ready to be commander in chief. >> one of the stars over the next 10, 20 years. whether he's ready at this moment only the campaign trail can tell. he's going to get -- i tell you he's going to take a real beating. >> reporter: ryan said family history makes him a fitness fen attics. >> my dad died of a heart attack at 55 my grandfather at 57. i've had an incentive to stay healthy.

>> reporter: and a avid hunter. >> i got a terse response saying i'm sitting in a deer stand it's hunting season, leave me alone. >> reporter: he's a self-described nerd but don't underestimate his ambition or competitive streak. if he had his druthers, he would rather debate the president. >> i love the fact that we've elected an african-american man as president. i think that's a cool thing. >> reporter: but it is romney who will share the biggest fall debate stage. >> governor mitt romney, hopefully the next president of the united states. >> reporter: and romney who decides whether to place a risky bet on paul ryan. john king, cnn, washington. and be sure to stay with cnn this morning as mitt romney unveils his running mate. it happens at 9:00 a.m. eastern live from nor folk, virginia. cnn is there and will bring it

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...we inspected his brakes for free. free is good. free is very good. my money. my choice. my meineke. welcome back, everyone. i'm randi kaye. it is a day political junkies have been waiting for. mitt romney is expected to unveil his pick for vice president. sources tell cnn the pick is this man, 42-year-old paul ryan who is currently in his seventh term. the announcement is expected at 9:00 eastern in norfolk, virginia. let's go there live, where my

colleague jim acosta is. jim, this is a daring decision, isn't it? >> it really is. we should point out to viewers romney campaign has not put out official notification that paul ryan is going to be the running mate. you see the scene. "uss wisconsin" is behind me. a u.s. flag, flag for the state of virginia. but there are no signs that say paul ryan, from an official standpoint from the campaign nothing has been suggested on the event site. but you were saying a few moments ago, is this a daring pick? yes, this is a daring pick. mitt romney could have gone with a safe pick when this was more than a 50/50 pick. he could have gone tim pawlenty and rob portman. a few days before this announcement was made that they were going to come out with this

pick today. the polls were starting to widen between the president and mitt romney. you saw the poll that had the president up by a few points then another poll showed romney down by 9 points. whether or not that factored into the considerations inside the romney campaign we have not gotten that sense yet. my guess is they will not acknowledge that yet at this point. they've always exact ped. they've told me this will be a tight 50/50 race down the wire. i talked to a strategist in recent days, we were talking about all of that bain capital and personal attacks coming from the campaign directed at mitt romney. he told me in the end this campaign will be about big ideas, big contrast and the paul ryan announcement if that's what we have in a few hours, certainly suggests that. paul ryan is no shrinking violet. he doesn't tip toe through the

tulips with policy proposals. what they are proposing is different than what the people have been accustomed today. the republicans maintain that safety net would be in place. everything will work fine in terms of senior citizens getting medicare, but would make dramatic adjustments to the social safety net and i think that's what this campaign is about. >> those ideas have been well criticized by the democrats. romney has to own those, has to own paul ryan's ideas. >> that's right. i will tell you that the romney campaign and mitt romney himself did come out with a proposal similar to paul ryan. >> you can sort of see this train coming for months. mitt romney is talking about sending medicaid back to the states. talking about some kind of premium support plan for medicare. in the romney plan seniors have a choice sticking with the

traditional medicare plan. and buy into the private insurance market. democrats say hey, that changes welfare as we know it. a phrase you'll hear a lot in the months ahead. randi. this is sort of like deja vu. everybody expected this to be 2004 the way bush went off john kerry in a personal way. this is now starting to shape up like 1996, bill clinton versus bob do bob dole. bill clinton went after bob legal and said they'll change welfare as we know it. that phrase will be coming back. it will be back to the future in the months ahead. >> this is what we're waiting for. it's really exciting now. jim acosta at the nor norfolk "uss wisconsin" thank you very much. we want to tell you

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good morning. if you're just joining us, we'll have much more on the breaking news coverage on mitt romney's pick, but first a look at major news we're watching right now. as the violence in syria escalates, hillary clinton is in istanbul to hold talks about the

crisis. clinton is expected to strategize how to handle the civil war unfolding in syria. it comes after they slapped syria's oil company in sanctions. tens of thousands of syrians are living in refugee camps. back in the u.s. residents living near a massive sinkhole in louisiana will be unable to return to their homes at least another month. the sink hole swallowed 100-foot cyprus trees and is getting picker. take a look at this. authorities suggesting an underground salt cavern could be to blame. an act of terrorism, hatred. a height trim. those are the words of attorney general, eric holder.

who sooek two sikh and imagine responder were killed. mitt romney reportedly making a bold choice. what does paul ryan think romney needs in a running make? we have cnn team coverage straight ahead.

. in just a few hours, mitt romney is expected to unveil his pick. sources tell cnn he'll unveil

paul ryan, wisconsin congressman as his pick. the announcement is expected 9:00 eastern in nor folk, virginia. wolf blitzer is waking up early with us this morning. glad you're with us, wolf. what do you think? bold move? what do you think he'll bring to the ticket? >> i think he'll really energize the conservative base. they love paul ryan. they'll go out and vote. it will reassure many of them that mitt romney is in fact himself a conservative. this is the post important decision the candidate can make. telling american people who would take over who would take over god forbid if something were to happen to the president of the united states. it says who mitt romney is. he decided to go bold. there's so much speculation that he would ask senator rob portman of ohio or tim pawlenty of minnesota to be his running mate. both totally qualified, both excellent men with relative experience. relatively bland, compared to

someone like paul ryan, or if he would have gone with bob jindal or chris christie. he is saying i want to energize the race and want the economy to be issue number one. that's paul ryan's strength. he's been in washington for almost 20 years. he knows these economic issues, chairman of the house. budget issues. i think it gives this race a real distinction between what the romney-ryan plan is on one hand as opposed to joe biden's plan on the other. there's serious major differences on the key economic tax issues related to the two tickets. there's a big substance of debate so i look forward to it. >> it's interesting, romney and ryan have not agreed on everything along the way if you look at t.a.r.p. and auto bailouts. it's an interesting pick. >> they won't agree on everything. president obama didn't agree with joe biden on everything

along the way. when ronald reagan picked george h.w. bush to be his running made they didn't agree on everything but they have forged by all accounts and i've spoken to romney people. romney and ryan afford a really strong, positive personal relationships, they are families, they like each other. they work well together. this will be a strong ticket. i know the democrats, a lot of democrats, a lot of obama supporters are salivating right now, because paul ryan said for folks under55 years old he wants dramatic changes in the way medicare is conducted. they think this opens up a great opportunity to go after him in one of the most popular programs the federal government has. this will be a good serious debate on serious issues. paul ryan is not something that likes to get into the mud and starts name calling or anything like that. he likes to discuss important economic issues, he is after all a student of jack kemp from new

york state. former house secretary and vice presidential running mate, bob dole back in 1996. he learned from jack kemp and that's the kind of republican he's going to be. i wouldn't necessarily -- if i were a democrat or obama supporter, i wouldn't be high fiving each other right now. this will be a serious, strong debate. >> wolf blitzer, nice to have you on the program this morning. we'll see you coming up later on about 7:00 a.m. eastern. thank you, wolf. >> thank you. >> all of those attack ads may finally be taking a poll. we'll look at ads and how they are shaping people's opinions. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it. and i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing... had made you play. and that... had made you smile.

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enroll now. the bottom of the hour, welcome back, everyone. i'm randi kaye. sources telling mitt romney will pick rising republican star, paul ryan from wisconsin as his running mate. the announcement is expected at 9:00 a.m. eastern in norfolk, virginia where romney is kicking off a four-day bus tour. yesterday when asked about the vp rumors ryan refused to speculate. gloria borgia is in washington. what is the initial reaction in the nation's capital and how how it received so far?

>> a lot of republicans are stunned by the news, this is really a bold stroke in a way. because paul ryan is so risky. paul ryan is very controversial. he became the face of his own budget plan, which essentially calls for turning medicare into a voucher system. don't forget, the democrats, a while ago, ran an ad which actually had paul ryan or someone who looked like him, pushing an old lady off a wheelchair, because he was about to take away her medicare. so he's a lightning rod for democrats. on the other hand, and this is what some republicans are applauding, it's a bold move by mitt romney. they didn't think he had it in him. it's a bold move. this is somebody who will focus the debate on entitlement reform, on the economy, what we're going to do about the debt. so, in a way, mitt romney is really doubling down on his

economic argument, and i was talking to a former romney adviser about this. and he said to me, he said, you know what, paul ryan is exactly like somebody mitt romney would have hired at bain capital. he's young, he's smart, he gets the subject and he's kind of a fellow wonk. which is what romney is. he likes to look at numbers as much as romney does. >> let me bring in wolf blitzer as well. how much do you think people will look at paul ryan's experience. he's 42 years old. he has no foreign policy experience. he never ran a statewide campaign. will that play a role here? >> he's a really smart guy. he'll be up to speed soon. the debate he has in october. that's joe biden's real strength. elvery to learn all of the key issues, issues involving war and

peace and of course there's tense spots with iran, with china and syria, with north korea. he's going to have to do a lot of studying. he's a chairman of the budget committee, a chairman of the ways and means committee. domestic economic issues are his real bread and butter. that's his real strength. when all is said and done, unless the u.s. is in a real war and there's a national security crisis, those are theish you us that determine this race. it is, after all, the economy. stupid, still after all these years, especially in the time of tough economic pain which the country is going through. yes, he'll learn and come up to speed on the national security issues, but the real issue, most important issues, as far as the electorate is concerned will be economic issues, on those issues, he's very strong. >> lent me say about this. what about the minority vote. mitt romney, paul ryan if indeed it is true on the ticket? >> i think for the most part. romney folks have almost given

up. certainly on the african-american vote. they think the president got 94%, 95% of the african-american vote. they think he'll do almost as well. they're hoping he will be a little more lethargic african-american vote. folks in virginia, pennsylvania, ohio, florida. won't show up. big, big numbers, record numbers almost that showed up four years ago, although the president will get overwhelming support in the african-american community and probably the hispanic community as well. i don't know if he has a lot of outrage in the hispanic community. for all practical purposes he's not going help mitt romney score a lot of points with those two communities. where he will help, where he will dramatically help mitt romney, he'll energize the conservative base. there'slet argy on the conservative base. you need huge turnout. he's going to help getting the

turnout from conservatives, not only from midwest battleground states but all over the country. he's a good campaigner, and speaker, he'll do well. he'll get conservative base. if turnout is one of those important factors, come november 6th. >> wolf blitzer, gloria borger, thank you very much. we'll see you both at the top of the hour. be sure to stay with cnn as mitt romney unveils his running mate. it happens live at 9:00 eastern from nor folk virginia. cnn is there and we'll bring it to you live. still to come, why paul ryan says he has no fear about his message to mix medicare.

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more now on our breaking news for the race to the white house. in hour, sources tell cnn that mitt romney will announce paul ryan is his running mate. that's expected to happen at 9:00 a.m. eastern in nor folk, virginia. that's where romney is kicking off a bus tour through battleground states. just yesterday, when asked about vp rumor, ryan refused to speculate. cnn contributor for news week, is with us as well. candy, good morning. >> good morning. >> why do you think they decided on congressman ryan? >> reporter: i actually think this pick says a lot about where mitt romney and this team see the state of the election. we've had two things for a year and a half.

we've had mitt romney talking about how the obama economy is what this election is about. we've had the president saying, this is about a choice. it's about one philosophy, versus another. putting ryan on the ticket, i think buys into that message, actually from the president. i think mitt romney is saying, game on here. let's do policy. i think it strengthens -- certainly, there are differences between mitt romney and paul ryan, and the guy at the top of the ticket always wins those differences but they are nuanced, this will be and democrats will make it and republicans will welcome it, a -- now, look, you can go this way or you can go that way. so, i think it says that the romney team has heard some of the criticism which has been, you just can't go out there and hit barack obama about the. economy. you've got to talk about what you would do. this pick elevates that conversation and tells you mitt

romney signed on to that? >> what do you think makes ryan stand out from all of the other vp contenders? >> i think candy makes a great point to the extent that the days of mitt romney running a policy-free campaign are over. this may be the first time a presidential nominee outsourced policy to the vp pick. paul ryan has detailed plans what he would do to reduce the deficit and detective. now mitt romney owns those for better or worst. this is a bold pick, not without risk but a bold pick. it's not the type of pick that may move the state into a romney column. like rob portman from ohio. this is a pick that will absolutely energize the republican base, because of policies, not just politics. this is a pick that will also, i think help energize the youth vote. paul ryan is just 42 years old. so this is a really doubling

down also, as kenny said on the economic element the romney team wants to have. they deserve a lot of credit for not playing it safe but going bold with the pick of paul ryan. >> wichl this turn into a debate about entitlement given the stance on medicare and tax reform and everything else paul ryan put forward? >> if it does. mitt romney will be pleased. let's look at what the conversation will be in the last six weeks. it's been about forces in the olympics. it's been very, very difficult for mitt romney to get an economic message out there. this makes it very obvious. there's so many people, economists, and folks on the hill that will tell you you can't actually talk about how to fix the economy unless you talk about the third rail issues, social security, medicare, medicaid. one point to the idea that yes, everybody said yes, this will insight conservatives. the other thing that this pick

tells you about where mitt romney sees this campaign going is, that, yes, it will be this bold clash of ideas, and certainly, what paul ryan does is brighten that line, but it also tells you, that they believe this is a turnout race. that this is about -- we've seen it close, the policies have widened a little bit in the president's favor. seven points in our poll, everybody believes they will go back some. if this stays a close race going into the fall, this is about both these candidates getting out there, and understanding, this is a turnout race. and paul ryan is a turnout pick. >> and, john, what about the independent voters. where will they fall looking at a romney-ryan ticket? >> on the surface they will like the ryan pick a lot, because it is bold. it is energetic. it offers specifics on deficit and debt. this is an issue democratic

voters worry about a lot. they worry a lot about the deficit and debt. this is a pick that addresses that. when the ryan plan comes under scrutiny as the camp will do starting today. those specifics scare people off. people like to talk about entitlement reform in abstract but when it comes to dealing with social security and medicare, medicaid as paul ryan has done in his plan that makes some folks nervous. that's one element of the risk of this pick. it is real. a clash of ideas and philosophies. paul ryan to his credit, a lot of republican congressman are happy with the demagogue and deficit and debt but don't want to deal with that. paul ryan owns that plan and put it on paper. it's not rhetorical anymore. way beyond pbumper stickers and politics, the ryan plan will come under scrutiny. it will be part of the decision people make come fall. >> what's the obama decision's

next move? they have to have been ready for this. >> sure. it's -- they were ready for -- you know, any number of things, i think they also looked at portman. listen. in the last couple of days, there were a lot of signals out there that pointed to paul ryan, including the venue today on the "uss wisconsin," et cetera, et cetera. there have been such a huge public push from conservatives, particularly in print, for paul ryan, they are ready for this. let's also remember, they've had this fight before. they already have files on the ryan plan. because it was put up to a house vote. so it is the basis of the budget that the house passed. so, they are well versed, in the ryan plan, and they are waiting and have been waiting. it was one of those things that i can say please, please, let paul ryan be the guy. i will tell you, it will be interesting. this is not a man that has even -- paul ryan, that's been

tested statewide, much less nationwide in the fine art of campaigning. he has to go out -- he serves, as the biggest surrogate campaigner out there. and he's wonky guy, a personal guy that's got an interesting back story. he plays well in the midwest. he's a hunter, a fisherman. there's lots to kind of recommend him to the kind of folks that the romney team is trying to attract. we just don't know. he just is not on the surface, one of those, gee, whiz, go out there and really give them hell joe biden kind of campaigner. he's a different kind of guy on campaign we're used to seeing. >> candy kerley, john avalon, nice to chat with you both. thanks, randy. paul ryan's stance on benefits has drawn a lot of criticism from democrats. some call him the poster child for slashing entitlement. see what he says about that.

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welcome back. i'm randi kaye. ten minutes until the top of the hour. we're live with breaking news at the white house. sources tell cnn in a few hours, mitt romney will introduce paul ryan as his running mate. the much awaited announcement is expected to happen at 9:00 a.m. eastern time in norfolk, virginia. 42-year-old ryan chairs the house budget committee. he's pushed the house warfare line against president obama and is a major critic on the obama's signature health care reform

law. take a look at this scene when reporters asked ryan about the vp speculation. he told them, he just won't get into it. democrats have attacked paul ryan and the so-called ryan plan. they've made him a poster child for a republican determined to cut entitlements like medicare. but he is not backing down. he sat down with cnn political analyst gloria borger last july. >> let's say the ryan plan, even though you don't like to call it that. has become the centerpiece -- the ryan plan has become the centerpiece of the discussion. >> that's right. >> not only in the congressional debate, you once told a reporter, i'm going to quote it back. i don't expect it to become the platform of the party but kind of looks like it is. >> i've never had those kind of ambitions. i've been moving the debate forward so we can actually attack these problems before they attack us. literally before the way the

math looks and budget and debt and deficit. we'll start losing control of the situation. interest alone will get us. 2020 it will consume 100% of all revenues. that's how fast it's getting out of control. what we're trying to do is simply give the country a choice, show them an option and put a plan on the table to fix the problem. >> the democrats obviously have a different view of it. >> of course. >> and you become the poster child whether you like it or not. one democrat said if they didn't have you, they would have to invent you. >> that's right. the way i look at this. i think from the left perspective, they like to nullify the notion that there's a path for the country than the one they've laid down over the last two years. >> not just the left. there's moderates who disagree with you. >> we have taxes, we get rid of

the loopholes to have more competitive taxes. believe me, nobody wants to get rid of crony capitalism. we're the first ones to propose it. we want to do it in a way to make our tax system more competitive for job creation for entrepreneurs to succeed in the economy. but i would simply say -- >> but -- >> there's a plan here, or the preference to delegitimize an alternative path for the country than the one we're on right now. i would argue the path we're on is a detective crisis, managing our decline. moving us more of a welfare said, where able-bodied people are not allowed to have equal opportunity to rise up, and become more self-you know, independent. i worry we're creating so much government spending in debt that it will slow down our economy and produce more people who are dependent upon the government than they are of themselves.

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in just a matter of hours, mitt romney is expected to officially announce his running mate. all bets on wisconsin congressman paul ryan. if he is romney's choice, it may not come as a surprise for many. he's topped the list of

front-runners for months and has been a constant presence on the campaign well before he clinched the nomination in april. take a look. >> if mitt romney asks you to run as his vice president, would you agree to do so? >> next question. you know, that's somebody else's decision months away and that's a conversation i need to have with my wife. before i have it all with you. >> we're going to make a big choice in this country. what kind of country do we want to have? we want an opportunity society. we want upward mobility. we want people to be able to reach their potential. we want a safety net that gets people back on their feet not a ham okay that lulls them into come placen see. we dant want to go in that direction. we need a moral who has a moral come compass, we need a leader

with a bedrock of principles and ability to put that into place. that leader is mitt romney. >> thank you. nice work. thank you. >> all right. awesome. awesome. >> thanks, everybody. >> congressman paul ryan, that is a man who takes responsibility and, as is a courageous leader. if you agree with him or not on every issue, this is a person that led every clear path for our party and our nation. i appreciate the fact that we've got a wisconsinite who is a real leader in washington and hope to see his leadership in our nation's capital. we need more of that. >> thanks so much for watching this morning. i'm randi kaye. coverage of mitt romney's announcement continues right now with my colleague, wolf blitzer, in washington. good morning, i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. breaking news this hour, mitt romney is about two hours away from revealing vice presidential choice, a move that could

redefine the republican presidential campaign. three republican sources telling cnn, romney's choice as congressman paul ryan of wisconsin, the house budget committee chairman. in recent days there's been a good deal of pressure from the right to choose paul ryan. he's seen by many as a bold choice who helps bolster romney's conservative credentials and shows he's serious about economic change. romney will make his announcement in the battleground state of virginia. the military city of norfolk, aboard the uss wisconsin. event kickoff his campaign bus tour with his new running mate, a little more than three weeks before the republican national convention. we have complete coverage leading up to this dramatic announcement. candy crowley is here, gloria borger is here, john king is here, jim acosta is in nor folk. brianna keiler is at the white

house. john let me start with you, a lot of us taken by surprise about this bold decision. a lot of us thought it would be somebody less controversial. tim pawlenty or rob portman the ohio senator. he decided to go bold. >> he decided to go bold. number one you have to give him credit not endorsing his pick, but somebody that will overshadow him. he's at the center of the debate about the budget. it's risky. he's 42 years old. he's a house member. some say is he ready to be commander in chief. we've watched a shift toward the president in days. part of this decision, we're loosing the debate over bain. let go big and make it an ideas debate. that's risky. paul ryan said cut money out of medicare and domestic spending quite popular with people. you have a much bigger choice, if you will. it's not about the president. governor romney tried to m